Looking Back at the Mt. Wilson Fire

Photos and story by Galen Patterson

At the summit of Mt. Wilson, high above the Los Angeles floodplain, stand the broadcasting antennae of several networks including CBS, NBC, and NPR. The summit is also home to The Cosmic Café, and the Mount Wilson Trailhead.

However, at Mt. Wilson’s summit, on the southward facing slope is the final resting place of Matthew Huerta, a suicidal teen from Sylmar, who may have been the cause of a 50-acre fire that began at the top of the mountain.

In October, Huerta had left a letter indicating self-harm to be found by relatives. Shortly after, on Oct 17, just before dawn a blaze had broken out on the mountain. A charred body was found among the flames and though the fire was not confirmed to be the cause of death, the body was identified as Huerta.

Now, with the flames of the Thomas fire visibly raging roughly 75 miles to the West, the Mt. Wilson fire has long been extinguished, with orange fire-retardant powder littering the ground and the burned-out and cut-down trees adorning the landscape. Where Matthew Huerta’s life tragically came to an end, new growth has sprung up from the soil, in a biological cycle known as “secession.” Huerta’s final inferno has cleaned the slate for those 50 acres and pioneer plants will change the chemical makeup of the scorched Earth, giving way to new vibrant life.

More from Community